CARROTS
Carrots
are one of the most popular vegetables in our kitchen and for good
reasons says dietitian Nicole Senior. For a start, they are very
versatile: they are delicious raw or cooked, and can blend in to most
dishes whether it is a stir fry, casserole, grill or salad. It’s really
no wonder you’ll find them in most people’s refrigerator. One of my
favourite ways to eat this sunshine-y root vegetable is roasted whole
with a short length of stem still on (wash thoroughly, then just brush
with a little oil and bake). With the water content reduced by the oven,
the caramelisation of the natural sugars creates a kind of magic in
your mouth and one of the many reasons I shall never be a raw foodist!
Which reminds me of another favourite way to enjoy them: with a drizzle
of extra virgin olive oil and honey (and a sprinkle of cumin if you like
a little spice). I love them in soup too and marvel how well they go
with chicken and chickpeas, or in the slow cooker with beef and lentils.
There’s
another kind of magic that happens when carrots are cooked long and
slow and turn to velvet but still hold their shape: so comforting. But
of course, carrots also shine in summer salads and the trick to a super
salad is to slice the carrot in long slender strips or ribbons. You can
do strips or batons with a sharp knife but you’ll look like a pro if you
use a julienne blade on a V-slicer that produces willowy, regular
lengths that look gorgeous and perform a texture tango in your mouth.
Another very modern idea is to use a spiralizer to make long curly
carrot noodles (‘coodles’ anyone?) or vegetable peeler to slice long
ribbons. If you do the same with zucchini you can create a two-colour
ribbon salad that only needs your favourite chopped herbs and a knockout
vinaigrette dressing.
Aside from all this, carrots are
really good for you. They even give their name to a family of
phytochemicals called carotenoids: carrots are rich in a particular type
called beta-carotene that gives them their orange colour. But carrots
were purple or dull yellow 5000 years ago in Afghanistan where they are
thought to originate, but these ‘heirloom’ varieties are now available
again and look simply spectacular on your plate. Being root vegetables,
carrots of any colour are high in fibre for digestive health. They also
have impressive amounts of vitamin K for healthy bones, vitamin C for
immunity and potassium to maintain ideal blood pressure. And if that
wasn’t enough, munching on carrots is good for the teeth and gums too
because they massage the gums and increase production of saliva which
rinses out the mouth and helps to protect against decay.
Raw
or cooked, carrots won’t send your blood glucose on a roller coaster
ride either. Why? Well, not only are they low GI (39), they have very
few carbs. In fact, to get a hefty portion of carbs (38 g) from carrots
you’d have to crunch through at least 5 cups or 750g (about 1½lb) raw at
a sitting – a pretty awesome achievement even for carrot lovers.
